Bang!
A single gunshot rang out.
A blue energy round tore through a drone and punched straight into the guard behind it, blasting a hole clean through his chest.
Karl stood firm, the Judicator in his hand like a scythe of death. Each pull of the trigger claimed a life.
On Earth, the weapon had rarely shown its true worth—most enemies there were human, and Karl usually drew it only as intimidation. But here? In a prison filled with alien species—none fully human except himself—the Judicator revealed its terrifying power.
One shot often felled multiple guards in a line. Drones exploded on impact.
Karl alone suppressed the incoming reinforcements, forcing the guards to dive behind cover, afraid to expose even a fraction of their bodies.
---
On the other side of the hall, Gamora sprinted toward the guard with the control wristband.
Her movements were lethal and efficient. Every guard who intercepted her went down in a single strike—precise, merciless.
Within seconds she reached her target. The guard pulled out a high-voltage stun baton and engaged her.
It didn't matter.
Gamora had been trained personally by Thanos—raised to kill, molded to embody his brutal ideology.
Three swift strikes.
A crack.
The guard's neck snapped.
She removed the wristband and noticed Quill fleeing nearby.
---
Quill clutched the metal prosthetic leg and nearly collided with an armed guard.
"Drop the leg and return to your cell!"
The guard's voice trembled.
Quill bent as if complying—then lashed out, smashing the leg into the guard's head.
The guard collapsed.
Quill grabbed the rifle and blasted two approaching drones out of the air.
---
In the main hall, Rocket had already run dry on ammo and was crouched behind Groot when Gamora tossed him the wristband.
"To the control room!" Rocket shouted.
Groot charged forward through gunfire while Rocket worked the battery against his chest.
Gamora, nimble and relentless, reached the control room exterior first. Groot rapidly extended his limbs, lifting Rocket upward.
Quill began climbing Groot's massive leg with the prosthetic tucked under his arm.
A drone locked onto him.
He froze.
Just as it prepared to fire—
Drax leapt into the air, landed atop the drone, and tore it apart with his bare hands before climbing up after them.
---
Inside the control room, guards called frantically for backup.
"All personnel fully armed! Suppress the riot immediately!"
The door behind them exploded inward.
The newly assembled Guardians stood framed in smoke and debris, striking unintentionally dramatic poses.
The guard inside slowly raised his hands.
Groot wrapped him in vines and flung him aside.
"What's he doing here?" Gamora demanded, spotting Drax.
"We promised he could stick close to you until he kills Ronan," Quill replied casually. "Besides, if we hadn't, he might've torn me in half."
Quill dropped the prosthetic leg in front of Rocket, who was already manipulating the central console.
Rocket glanced at it.
"Oh. That? I didn't actually need it."
He tossed it aside.
Quill stared in disbelief.
"What?!"
"Think about it," Rocket cackled. "That guy's hopping around on one leg right now. Hilarious."
"I paid thirty thousand units for that!" Quill shouted.
Gunfire suddenly rattled against the reinforced glass.
A rocket launcher fired—
BOOM!
The control room window spiderwebbed with cracks.
One more hit would shatter it.
Outside, lightning crashed down.
Every remaining drone detonated midair.
Karl floated before the glass, cloak billowing dramatically behind him. Bullets and energy blasts struck the fabric harmlessly, absorbed by the enchanted mantle.
He tapped on the glass.
From inside, they could see him speaking—but not hear him.
They gestured wildly.
Karl rolled his eyes.
In a burst of flame, he vanished—reappearing instantly inside the control room.
"Move faster," he said calmly. "The main force is almost here."
They stared at him like he'd grown a second head.
"You can fly?!" Quill blurted.
Another rocket slammed into the glass.
The cracks widened.
"Rocket!" Gamora snapped. "Now!"
"Working on it!"
He yanked two exposed wires and jammed them together.
The entire prison's gravity failed.
Inmates and guards alike floated helplessly into the air—except those inside the control hub.
Rocket flipped another switch.
The control room itself began to lift.
He seized the drone control panel and commanded surviving units to tow the floating structure toward the exit using their engines.
They managed a short distance—
Then gravity reasserted itself.
The drones couldn't sustain the weight.
The control room crashed down hard—but not before clearing the main hall.
They were closer to freedom.
---
They emerged into the storage sector where prisoners' belongings were kept.
Quill rushed to locate his gear.
He tore open his bag and rifled through it rapidly, tossing items aside without even glancing at them—not even the Orb.
"Grab the Orb and let's go!" Gamora urged.
Quill kept digging.
"They didn't give it back!"
He clenched his fists, furious.
His Walkman was missing.
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